Dark Light
by Lovely Fox-Kit
Summary: Balto is the wolf dog outcast of the town of Nome, Alaska. He dreams of being accepted but it seems that dream is forever out of reach until he meets Steele, the son of a retired racing dog named Roscoe. Steele wants to get to know Balto a bit better and understand just why he's hated so much, will he finally get that chance when the town falls ill?
1. Amber Dreams

**Dark Light (a 'Balto' fic)**

Disc.: I do not own 'Balto' it belongs to their respective owner(s), so just fuck off with the hate flames already!

A/N: As I've mentioned in some of my other projects, I have a lot more free time these days to try out other anime/manga/movie fic writing projects so I'm trying my hand at 'Balto' because this movie is just so cute! The only really good yaoi pairing from this movie is BaltoxSteele, so this time I'm gonna try something a little different with them, and it will be included in the summary so take a gander at it beforehand- now no more waiting, time for the story! Also, this will be an mpreg, which means that Balto will be able to carry Steele's puppies inside of him!

**Summary: Balto is the wolf dog outcast of the town of Nome, Alaska. He dreams of being accepted but it seems that dream is forever out of reach until he meets Steele, the son of a retired racing dog named Roscoe. Steele wants to get to know Balto a bit better and understand just why he's hated so much, will he finally get that chance when the town falls ill and Balto's the only one who can save them from death?**

"Talking"

'_Thoughts/Memories'_

'Song Lyrics'

**Ch.1- Amber Dreams**

The sun had finally risen up into the sky, painting it a light blue that was obscured by a few clouds passing over lazily in fluffy wisps of white. The temperature right now was a staggering 45 degrees as the sounds of paws digging into the snow covered ground became ever louder.

The two sled dog teams were jockeying for the lead, the left side team being pulled by a rather plump orange-grey dog named Kelly. He was starting to get tired from the constant running but wouldn't lose out to his opponent, a sleek red and cream dog. The opposing lead dog wasn't above playing dirty, so it snapped at him- which caused him to jump from fear of getting bit and this made him trip up his team just as the 2 mile marker flare exploded in the sky, signaling that they only had a couple more miles to go before the race was over. The opposing musher was furious, how dare that bitch do that to them!

"Damn you, Jenna!"

Jenna, for all her effort, couldn't care less if they hated what she'd done just now- all that mattered to her was winning this race and earning even more glory as the town's top racer. She merely smirked at the fallen team before taking off for the town and finishing up unopposed.

In a small shop in the town, Rosie and her parents were standing at the counter so that they could get her present that she'd been eagerly waiting for. The girl was so excited that she threw her arms around her best friend, Steele. The malamute definitely had the build of a race dog, but he was also humble when he needed to be. He wasn't arrogant or relied upon his family's racing background to get what he wanted, even though he was the only son of famed racing legend Roscoe. Although he wasn't a professional race dog, Steele still liked to pull his girl Rosie around on a makeshift sled whenever the two had time to play. After a few more minutes, Steele heard the excited laughter of Rosie when she got the sled that her parents had paid Patrick, the town sled maker, she hitched Steele up to the sled and they both ran out of the shop excitedly. Rosie then told Steele to slow down and he was joined by his two best friends, Dex and Rick (1).

Dex was a rather interesting dog, he was the town's only German Shepard and also a police dog. He was a light sand with random black patches on his body, and even though he was rather frightening when it came to subduing a troublemaker or catching a criminal, he still made time to be a total goofball when he was off duty.

Rick was a Husky like most of the other dogs in the town, but his coloring was rather strange- he was brown and black with white spots all over his back and tail. He was more level headed and philosophical, with a voice that held wisdom and all the patience in the world.

To top it off, he was Dex's mate and the two were definitely the odd couple of Nome, Alaska.

"Hey Steele, did ya come to watch the race?"

"Yeah, I've heard that it's supposed to be close today."

At hearing that, Rick had to let out a snort of amusement.

"Not if _she_ has anything to say about it."

Steele just laughed along with his friends, he knew full well who they were referring to: Jenna, the town's top racer and resident glory bitch (lol). For the longest time, she'd been trying to seduce Steele but he had yet to fall for her tricks and tactics. Steele kept telling her multiple times that he wasn't interested in a mate that only wanted him for his family's background, but she either didn't listen or she didn't care, she still kept trying to make him hers. Taking his attention off of those distasteful thoughts, he saw that Dex had a new collar around his neck.

"So Dex, is that a new collar?"

"What, this thing? Yeah…do you think that Rick will like it?"

As if reading his mind, Rick looked over at the black collar that his mate was currently wearing and smiled at him.

"Dex, it's beautiful…but only about half as beautiful as you, my love."

Dex blushed at his mate's blunt answer, and tried to hide it behind his stuttering.

"Oh, t-thanks Rick."

As the three of them kept walking, Steele watched his friends leave after a few more minutes and he took his place on the sidelines to watch the rest of the race with Rosie, unaware that a pair of eyes were on him the whole time.

Balto had been weaving through the town from behind the alleyways, he hated being in this town. Every time he came here, the people and dogs always either shooed him away or threatened to kill him. He currently lived in an abandoned houseboat away from the town with his only other friend, a goose named Boris. Even so, he loved watching the races- they were always exciting, but today the races weren't what had his attention…no, he was staring at the incredibly handsome malamute much further ahead.

Said malamute was black and white that was showing off his focused gaze, a pair of deep blue eyes watching the race with such intensity that Balto shivered from looking at them from afar, black rings around those same beautiful eyes the only other color breaking up the expanse of white on his face. He was sporting a black leather collar with a copper buckle to hold it in place around his neck, a wide smile gracing his muzzle and Balto in turn smiled at the gentleness of it. He was brought out of his dreaming when he heard a little girl scream about her hat, the malamute moving to stop her from running out onto the track and getting hurt.

Balto didn't have much time, so he instinctively began running in the race with a speed that surprised the whole team of dogs as they watched him bolt ahead and catch up with Jenna. The girl was furious, he was trying to steal the spotlight from her and that was not something she would tolerate! This was _her_ race, and here was some worthless half-breed trying to take that away from her!

"Out of my way, you fucking half-breed!"

But when Balto just kept running, she became livid. He had his eyes on the hat, and she mistook that for trying to cross the finish line first. Jenna snapped at Balto, intending to hurt him but he just jumped away at the last minute, snagging the hat and ending up on the sidelines as the team crossed the line.

Balto was happy to be able to get the girl's hat out of harm's way, but when he turned around he came face-to-face with those same intense eyes he'd been looking at from a distance, his nose touching with Steele's and this made him blush.

Steele also found himself staring straight into the golden irises with shock, he saw what the wolf-dog had done while he held Rosie back from getting hurt…it amazed him that this little half-breed had managed to keep up with the team without even really trying or running out of breath, maybe he ran around a lot on a daily basis? Either way, his eyes were very gorgeous. Never before had Steele seen such deep pools of molten gold, and he caught this pup blushing under his gaze.

Balto, for his part, backed off a bit and put his ears back in embarrassment and a touch of fear. He thought for sure the malamute was going to attack him, but was pulled out of his thoughts when Rosie started talking to him.

"Balto, what a crazy thing to do- or maybe you were just showing off for Steele!"

She said that last part playfully, but it made Balto smile at Steele in slight nervousness. Steele decided that he wanted to see more of that smile on the wolf-dog's face, it really made him look beautiful.

'_Wait- beautiful? Where on earth had that come from?! Still, I don't deny that Balto here is a very attractive half-breed, I wonder how he'd look when he's truly happy.'_

"Here Balto, you can be lead dog along with Steele!"

Before Steele could even enjoy the thought of running with the energetic wolf-dog, Rosie's father came up to them and proceeded to kick snow at Balto and frighten him off.

"Go on, get the hell out of here you mutt! Rosie, get away from him! He might bite you, honey- he _is_ half wolf after all."

"Aww, now you've gone and hurt his feelings dad."

"You shouldn't feel bad for him, sweetie. He doesn't have feelings, he's just a filthy half-breed. Let's go home, come along Steele!"

But Steele couldn't believe what he'd heard and seen just now, did the townspeople really hate Balto so much that they had to be this cruel to him?

"Balto, wait-"

Before Steele could apologize for his master's behavior, Jenna just cut him off and forced him to walk off with her. This made Balto flash him a pained expression, and Steele never wanted to see that look on his face. But, for now he had no other choice than to walk alongside the resident glory bitch.

"Hey Steele, I saw you watching the race today. Did you enjoy watching me run across the finish line like that?"

"Yeah, and I guess so. You are a pretty fast runner, after all."

"Thanks. So, maybe you and me could go and bury some bones later? I know you've probably got a real _big_ one to bury in a…favorite place?"

Steele knew what she was getting at, and it disgusted him to think that she assumed he would mate with _her_.

"No thanks, I'm tired and I just wanna go home."

Jenna, however was a little put out that he'd refused her yet again.

"Oh…well maybe your tastes lean more towards a _wolf_?"

Steele hated how she said that word with such disdain that he was about to tell her off when he heard Rosie call him.

"Sorry Jenna, my girl's calling me."

After that, Steele just left the stunned husky bitch standing there angrily. When his girl's attention was focused on getting home, Steele caught Balto's scent and he followed it to an alleyway that lead out of town. There was a wooden fence with some planks pushed aside and paw prints leading away from them, but before Steele could follow them he was called home by Rosie and her father. He left with a displeased expression marring his face and never noticed the sad look on Balto's face when he left.

Maybe tomorrow, they could see each other again.

T.B.C.- Well, here's the first part! Hope you guys like it, because I'm having fun writing it! Now, it's time for an explanation!

(1)- These two are my OCs, I'll post a pic of them at a later time. For now, please leave a review for all my efforts! Thank you!


	2. Behind Gold Eyes

**Dark Light (a 'Balto' fic)**

Disc.: I do not own 'Balto', it belongs to their respective owner(s) so fuck off with the hate flames already!

A/N: So, here's Ch.2! Lately, I've been feeling so frustrated with damn writers' block that it's affected my personality in the most horrendous ways , but I finally managed to lock the beast up and chain it in place so that it won't hurt anyone so you can all breathe a sigh of relief at knowing this! Now, no more stalling- time to jump in and get your feet wet!

"Talking"

'_Thoughts/Memories'_

'Song Lyrics' (if I choose to add any)

**Ch.2- Behind Gold Eyes**

Balto just stood in that same exact spot for 10 minutes, hoping that maybe Steele would come back to see him off to the edge of town. When another 10 minutes passed, it was evident that the Malamute was probably already at home with his owners and wouldn't be coming back today so he turned on his heel to head home to the sunken houseboat outside of town when he found Boris standing there looking at him, a look of worry etched onto his face.

"Balto, I've been thinking that maybe coming here every day is bad for you. I'm just worried about you, because the townspeople always say such cruel things to you and threaten you with torches and guns."

Balto just laughed lightly, it never ceased to amaze him how much the goose would fret about his state of health or even what the people would say about him. Boris truly was his only friend in this whole world, although the wolf-dog wished that he had more friends who would accept him for who he was and not shun him because of his mixed blood.

"Don't worry Boris, everything's fine."

Before the two could even make it out of the town, they heard the screeching voice of the town's resident 'glory bitch' Jenna. Her sneering tone seemed to be directed mostly at Balto, it was obvious that she was still hung up about him racing onto the track earlier that day and outrunning her without even having to try- he spent most of his time running from the townspeople when they tried to corner and beat him, so he was naturally very fast on his feet and very agile when it came to dodging certain 'instruments of doom' (e.g. pitchforks, knives, pipes, planks with nails in them, gunshots, baseball bats, etc.).

"Well well, what have we here? A couple of worthless strays trying to dig up dinner?"

Balto was _really_ tempted to just ignore her snooty ass and walk home without saying anything in return, he knew he was being the bigger dog by letting it drop but it seemed that she'd be having none of that, not from him. Boris was by this point trapped inside an overturned copper pot and he couldn't exactly grip it and get it off of him due to not having opposable thumbs, Balto could barely hear him tell the husky to fuck off and take her cruel words with her but she just laughed at him in that same haughty manner that she seemed to have been born with.

Watching the whole scene unfold between them was Jenna's little posse, three dogs named Dixie, Nikki, and Angela- all of them had mocking smiles on their faces as they observed the interaction between Jenna and the half-breed. Nikki had to admit though, for a half-breed Balto was pretty handsome, with grey fur and deep gold eyes that seemed to shimmer with unseen knowledge and pain from being hated his whole life. But, she didn't like him enough to change her opinion of him at all. Besides, the three of them were total followers and did everything that Jenna told them to, even if it meant ganging up on the wolf-dog four against one.

After a few more minutes of insulting Balto, Jenna turned to her three 'friends' and had the biggest smirk on her face when she readdressed Balto.

"Hey half-breed, I have a message for your bitch mother- ready, girls?"

Jenna raised her muzzle to the sky and let out a mocking howl, the other three joining in after a few seconds. This only made Balto go from angry to absolutely livid, a murderous and deep growl spilling from his throat as he closed in on the bitches that were mocking his mother. He had never killed another dog before, but was seriously reconsidering his reasons not to and would possibly start with the four bitches in front of him. Boris had finally managed to get the pot off of him and grabbed Balto's tail in an effort to hold him back while at the same time digging his webbed feet into the snow to gain some kind of leverage, especially after seeing the killing intent pouring off of his friend in waves.

When they were done mocking his mother, the bitch clique (I rhymed lol) started pelting them with snow. Jenna saw that this was starting to blind the wolf-dog in front of her as she spit right into his face, her hate for him only growing worse when she remembered how little Steele paid attention to her and more to him.

"Why don't you go run with your pack, you filthy half-breed?! And by the way, if you don't want to get hurt, then I suggest that you stay away from _my_ Steele! Hanging around with a filthy mongrel like you will only damage his reputation, and I certainly don't want my future mate running around with an _animal_ like you."

Balto was ready to tear into her worthless hide, but Boris had managed to get him to turn his back on the bitches by telling him that they weren't worth his anger or frustration as they attempted to get out of the town and get to their houseboat so they could leave their constant mocking behind. Before they could once again get out of Nome, Jenna dug up a rock and kicked it towards Balto, laughing at him when the somewhat large rock slammed right into the middle of his back and slowed his running speed to the point where he almost fell over from the sheer force of it hitting his spine.

"Let's see you outrun me _now_, you worthless mutt!"

Despite Balto's back hurting a great deal from the heavy rock slamming right into his spine, they somehow made it home and settled in for the night. Balto turned towards the nearby snow covered hill when he heard the howling of wolves, his eyes falling on his 'family'…they were wolves that belonged to the same pack as his mother Aniu, the leader was his grandfather Ben, the others that stood with him included his aunt Jessica and uncle Patrick, and his two cousins Missy and Aaron. But he just looked away ashamedly, he wasn't in the mood to run with them tonight and ignored their disappointed expressions as they left him alone for the night.

Boris settled in next to him, taking great care not to touch the area where he'd been hit with a rock. They both looked up when they heard the honking of geese, Boris shaking his head at his companions heading south for the winter. Balto smiled at Boris' refusal to even get up and fly, let alone leave the town for a couple of seasons.

"Boris, have you ever figured that maybe _you're_ the reason why the geese fly south for the winter? Besides, haven't you ever thought of going home?"

"Yeah, but it seems like too much effort to fly away only to come back in 6 months. Besides, who's going to keep you safe from cold winter winds and protect you from bitches like Jenna?"

Balto once again smiled at his friend as he settled on watching the sky until it turned dark, slipping away when the goose fell asleep from playing with the two other friends that Balto had- Muk and Luk, the polar bears who liked calling Boris their 'Uncle'.

Balto looked at the now dark blue sky and was reminded of Steele, how deep and intense his blue eyes were when they stared at each other earlier that day. He just knew that Steele wasn't the type of dog to care about his lineage, that he wanted friends who respected and liked him for who he was, but he could also tell that Steele wanted a mate and pups- and that was something that Balto just couldn't give him, no matter how much he wished it from deep within his heart.

For Balto, _his_ lineage was that of an extremely hated sort, he was half wolf and half dog- and that was something that he couldn't change no matter what he did. Dismissing his depressing thoughts, Balto decided to have some fun and headed back to the town, maybe running through the streets under the full moon would make him feel better.

(with Steele and Rosie)

Steele was watching his girl from outside the hospital worriedly, Rosie had started coughing and was brought over immediately when her father found out she had a terrible fever on top of a really bad cough. It had sounded really painful to his sensitive ears, his worry for his girl only rising with each shake of his head that the doctor had done while checking her vitals and her throat.

Maybe she had caught a cold? Even so, he couldn't hold in his excitement when she had stumbled outside and started chasing him around in the snow. She called his name in a scratchy and whining tone of voice but he ignored it so that he could focus on her smile as they played in the snow. They ran around for a few minutes before Rosie began coughing again, her father saw her outside and he immediately came out to scold her for being out of her bed in the freezing cold weather.

"Rosie!? Get inside before you catch your death out here!"

That was all Steele heard before he saw his girl taken back inside to rest. He ran around to the other side of the building so that he could keep an eye on her, he didn't even notice that the wolf-dog he'd been trying to befriend had come back into the town until he heard said wolf-dog call his name.

"Steele?"

He turned to look at him, those same golden pools entrancing him until he replied.

"Oh, hey Balto."

Steele turned back to watch his girl, he was about to start crying from worrying about her so much.

"Hey, uh…listen, I was just wondering- if you aren't busy later, maybe you and I could…oh, I don't know, go and chase some sticks by moonlight?"

Normally, if the situation were any different Steele would have giggled slightly at Balto's nervous yet brave attempt at asking him out on a date, but now wasn't the time to think of running with the energetic and sweet wolf-dog with the gentlest heart he'd ever found in a companion. Balto could see that Steele was deeply worried about something, and he himself grew just as concerned as the Malamute who'd invaded his heart in less than a day.

"Steele? What's wrong?"

Balto was by now also staring into the hospital alongside Steele, both of them ignoring how close they were and fighting away the blushing and butterflies they each felt towards the other that was in such close proximity to their presence.

"Rosie's in there."

"In the hospital? Why?"

"She has a terrible cough and a very high fever, but the doctor's can't figure out what's wrong with her."

Balto knew that Rosie was sick, he could see it in her posture and hear it through the window when she coughed rather painfully. He knew that he had to help his new friend in some way, a smile finding its way onto his face when an idea popped into his head.

"Steele, follow me."

The Malamute was confused, what did Balto have to show him that was so important that he left the window just to see what he had smiled about? He got his answer when he found the wolf-dog standing in front of a tall wooden door, it obviously lead to a warehouse but said door was shut tight. Balto turned to Steele with that same smile on his face, it seemed almost playful yet…knowing.

"I have the keys to the city."

Steele was confused as to what he could possibly mean when Balto removed two of the hinges that kept the door closed, the door opening and falling to the side as Balto held up his paw in a friendly gesture that said he should head inside first.

"After you."

His eyes drifted from the open door to the wolf-dog's paws. They obviously were made for running and digging, he'd heard from his father Roscoe that wolf-dogs had paws that were much bigger than a normal dog's but he had never expected them to be so _huge_.

"Balto…"

"Uh…big paws kinda run in my family, well in my _other_ family."

Steele just nodded and followed Balto when he slipped under the ledge near the boiler that was burning wood to supply heat to the building from the basement. The wolf-dog took the lead to show Steele the right path, the Malamute felt that the leadership position suited him to a degree.

"Stay close."

"Ok…but, I've never even heard of this place, Balto."

Balto chuckled as he used his tail to clear cobwebs out of the way so they could see where they were going.

"What are you talking about, Steele? Dogs travel for hundreds of years and hundreds of miles just to end up right here."

"Here? I don't see why they would."

Balto used his paw to gently remove a large piece of dust from Steele's muzzle, the Malamute felt as though more of the wolf-dog's gentle nature was coming out and he was glad that he was the only one around to see this side of the wolf-dog.

"That's because you're looking at the bowl half-empty."

When they stopped walking, Steele saw that they were directly underneath the hospital's floor boards. He watched as Balto pushed some random bits of bottles and glass into the light that was shining down into the darkness of the ground underneath the building.

"You see this? These are the Polar Ice Caps."

Steele eyed his friend in disbelief, how could he say something so silly and weird at a time like this?

"Balto, those are just broken bottles- and they're not _half _empty, they're _all_ empty."

But the wolf-dog wasn't finished yet, he looked up at the light next and whispered something that had Steele rolling his eyes.

"The sun."

"Oh, come on."

Balto walked over the bottles and looked at the wall, it seemed that his little 'surprise' was almost done and they could soon figure out what was wrong with Rosie.

"And…to the North…"

Before Steele could say or do anything else, he was blinded by a bright light- but when he opened his eyes, he was amazed at what he saw…so many colors were glinting off the bottles and it made Steele gasp in excitement.

"It's the northern lights!"

"That's right, Steele."

"But how-"

Balto smiled fondly as he remembered the one who'd taught him this little trick in the first place, and it didn't go unnoticed by Steele. He thought the action made Balto look so gentle and wise, like he was channeling the heavens themselves into such a small space.

"It's a trick that my mother taught me when I was a pup, she told me to share this secret only with the one who will become my most important and precious companion."

As Balto just kept smiling at speaking so happily of his mother, Steele was in complete awe at how the wolf-dog looked at the moment, the soft lights shining on the wall were bathing Balto in a rainbow-hued glow, which made him blush. He had always thought the northern lights were breathtaking when they painted the night sky with their cosmic beauty, but right now they were covering Balto in so many soft yet vibrant colors that it seemed the wolf-dog was made of the gorgeous lights themselves.

And that made him seem so beautiful in the Malamute's eyes.

"They're so beautiful, Balto."

The two dogs looked at each other contentedly as the lights shimmered around them in the enclosed space, but neither paid any attention to them- only to each other, genuine smiles settling on their faces as they let the moment carry them along and they began closing the distance between them slowly. They just held each others' gazes as Balto gently whispered words that made the Malamute feel as though they were all that mattered to each other in this moment in time.

"Yeah…beautiful."

T.B.C.- Wow, things got a little romantic down underneath the floorboards, huh? Well, let's just hope they can keep it in their fur long enough to find out what's wrong with Rosie! (Lol!)


	3. Illness Running Unrestrained

**Dark Light (a 'Balto' fic)**

Disc.: I do not own 'Balto' it belongs to their respective owner(s), so just fuck off with the hate flames already!

A/N: Chapter 3 has descended upon us! Sorry, got poetic for a minute there…or maybe hedonistic? Either way, it's here and you shall enjoy it or suffer the consequences [insert evil and twisted laugh here]! Just kidding, hope you're not scared- here's the text.

**Ch.3- Illness Running Unrestrained**

Balto and Steele just held each other's gazes for who knew how long, but apparently it was long enough for them to start leaning forward, the distance between them closing until their lips just about touched. They only realized that they were about to kiss when the lights went out, their hearts pounding in their chests and a bright blush painting their faces that could be seen even in the dark of the underground cellar.

The two followed the doctor who was helping with the children, and stopped when they heard the voice of Rosie's father as he talked to the doctor about what could be making his daughter so sick.

"Well, Doc?"

"She has a very high fever and a terrible cough. On top of which, she can't keep herself warm for very long. I hate to say it, but it looks like Ditherier."

At hearing this, both animal's hearts dropped and shattered. Steele was going to lose his best friend if something wasn't done soon, but the news only got worse when the doctor spoke again.

"She's the 18th case this week alone…and it seems that we're all out of antitoxin. We'll need to send for more if we want to make everyone better before the end of the month."

Balto could feel his spirit breaking, of all the things that could have happened it had to be this. Balto's attention went to Steele when he heard the dog start crying, the sudden desire to hold him close becoming stronger as he ran to catch up with him and make things right between them. He wanted to help Steele, but he also hadn't mean to hurt him like this.

"Steele, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to make you cry, I just wanted to-"

"No Balto, it's not your fault. Thank you, for helping me find out what's wrong with my girl, I really appreciate this-"

Before both could say anything else, there was a loud bang that made them turn towards the door to find Jenna standing in the entrance with a ring of sausages around her neck and a lustful look in her eyes, and that look was directed at Steele. Balto didn't like the look on her face, especially since it was being focused on _his_ Steele.

That thought shocked Balto when it passed through his mind, especially since they had almost kissed under the clinic floorboards.

'_Wait, _my_ Steele?! When did he become mine?'_

"Jenna, what the hell are you doing here at this hour?"

"Well well, what's wrong with this picture hm? Steele…"

Jenna then started rubbing up against Steele in a way she felt would be arousing to him.

"Won't you join me for dinner? I'll start at one end, you start at the other…and when we get to the middle, well…"

Balto felt himself getting angry at the bitch for even _daring_ to put the moves on Steele, his hackles raising and a low growl that was meant to be threatening escaped his throat as his ears went back against his head in a gesture of raw anger. Balto had never killed anyone before but was starting to consider doing so for the first time in his life.

"Jenna-"

"No, Balto…"

Steele then giggled at Jenna in an amused manner, faking his arousal enough to fool her and Balto was beginning to feel a wave of sorrow wash over him when he saw that Steele was slowly backing the bitch named Jenna up to the boiler.

Balto then got a mischevious look on his face when he figured out what Steele was doing.

"You know Jenna, I don't mean to sound ungrateful but…"

Jenna then looked up at her Steele, staring down at her with an intent gaze that she mistook for love but it was really a look of disgust at her blatant slutiness.

"These days I prefer my meat…cooked."

Before Jenna could apologize for being so rude and inconsiderate, she felt her ass get hot really quickly and howled in pain when she felt the fire of the furnace start burning her skin slightly, Steele using the distraction to hurry himself and Balto out through the open door.

Jenna was now infuriated, she had Steele right where she wanted him and that mangy half-breed had to ruin it by scheming against her. She was about to get up and chase them when she heard the sounds of townspeople coming towards them, their flashlights heading their way. Jenna would make sure that Balto would pay for what he'd done, so at the last minute she threw the sausages off of her neck and watched as the somewhat frozen meat landed on Balto with enough force to make him stumble and fall with them tangling around him.

Steele was shocked that Jenna would do something like that and would make her pay for framing his friend like that.

It was too late to do anything as the two men finally caught up to them.

"Well Joe, looks like Balto found his way into your meat locker."

"Looks like it. Go on, you fucking animal- get out of here! Here you go Jenna, you've earned them. After that beast has touched them, I can't do anything with them anyway."

Balto just dodged the kick aimed for his stomach and ran off with tears running down his face, Steele was about to run after him and apologize for everything but his owner grabbed him by the collar and stopped him from going after him.

"Come on, Steele- we're going home!"

Balto was now heartbroken, he couldn't go anywhere near Steele as long as there were people who hated him. He just ignored Boris when he came home to the houseboat, pulling the blanket over his thin frame and facing the wall, never once letting Boris see him cry as the tears fell down his face and onto the floor boards.

T.B.C.- Finally finished this chapter, Jenna just had to come in and ruin their 'date' but don't worry- she'll get what's coming to her very soon! Until then, read and review peoples!


	4. Trials And Tryouts

**Dark Light (a 'Balto' fic)**

Disc.: I do not own 'Balto' it belongs to their respective owner(s), so just fuck off with the hate flames already!

A/N: So, the time has come at last…that is, it's time for Ch.4! I saw my review history and I'm so happy to have gotten so many nice reviews! Thank you everyone, I know you've been waiting a long while and I apologize for the wait- the site wouldn't let me post the original draft of Ch.2 because it didn't recognize the format for some reason, don't know why, so I had to rewrite the whole damn chapter and then I could finally post it along with Ch.3, so I am so sorry for making you all wait so long! To make up for it, here's the next chapter! Enjoy, everyone!

**Ch.4- Tryouts and Trials**

After he was forcibly dragged back home by his owner, Steele spent most of the night cleaning himself by constantly licking his fur to get Jenna's scent off of him. When he deemed himself thoroughly 'cleaned', Steele let his mind wander back to what had happened between himself and Balto underneath the hospital floorboards.

He just couldn't stop thinking of how breathtakingly beautiful the other looked while bathed in the soft rainbow light of the northern lights that were reflecting off the brick wall, it seemed as though the lights themselves had sent the wolf-dog to help him and offer his friendship to the Malamute. Steele had a few friends, such as Dex and Rick, but those two were already a mated pair and Steele would always smile at how sweet they were to each other.

He idly wondered to himself what it would be like to have a mate, to have that one special dog by his side forever…to wake up next to them and fall asleep next to them too, to run and play with them, to have that deep connection and level of love that mates had with each other. However, none of the females he knew had that sort of feeling towards him, not even the one female who'd admired him for years- Katalina, she was beautiful to be sure…dark grey fur with splashes of white and brown thrown in, and deep green eyes that made you think of a tranquil forest when evening began setting in, but she'd told him that they were just friends.

Steele sighed, he just knew that his mate was out there and waiting for him…but his mind then wandered to when Balto had run away earlier, he looked utterly crushed that he was being forced away from him- he didn't miss the tears that were falling from his eyes as he ran away from his angry owner, the very thought of the gentle and kind-natured half-breed made Steele let out a sad whine. He hated seeing the wolf-dog so heartbroken, and prayed with all his heart that he could apologize to him tomorrow when he saw him again…Steele then settled himself into his bed and cried himself to sleep, unaware that his mate was also crying under the moonlit night.

(the next day)

Balto finally got up from under the blanket to find that morning had come, he had cried himself to sleep and let his thoughts drift to Steele. He heard the sorrow in his whines and whimpers as he struggled against his owner's hold on his collar, it only made him feel even worse when he was forcibly chased away by the Malamute's angry owner and absolutely pissed off meat shop owner. He also wondered deep in his heart if they could meet up today, he wanted to apologize for running away and also for almost kissing him under the floor boards last night- he honestly had no idea what came over him, but seeing Steele's awestruck expression and eyes glowing with the light that was streaming over their bodies just stirred something in Balto's heart, it seemed that it was screaming at him to claim the Malamute's lips with his.

But when Jenna had forced them apart like she had, he knew that she was obsessed with this ridiculous notion that Steele was meant to be her mate, it made him hate her more than ever. There was no way in all the seven Hells and beyond that Steele would agree to be hers, because Steele was _his._

The Malamute belonged to Balto and no one else!

At that thought, he stopped walking towards the town after he'd jumped off the houseboat- where had _that_ come from?!

'_Hold on there, Balto! How could you even _think_ that!? Steele's just trying to be a good friend, that's all! He would never even be interested in you that way, there's no way he would look at you with deep cobalt pools shimmering with love, a smile that promised you nothing short of devotion and happiness…he just wants to be your friend, that's all. Now then, the races to determine who will pick up and deliver the medicine are being held today, time to see who will be running.'_

Balto pushed his thoughts aside and headed to the town, ignoring Boris' protests about how it was too soon to go back and ran through the back alleys to catch the event that was to unfold.

(in the town)

Steele just stood on the sidelines, far away from Jenna and the other dogs running in the race. He barely heard what Dex was saying about how the race would be so exciting, his thoughts were straying to a certain gray-furred, golden-eyed wolf-dog who'd somehow managed to invade his thoughts at all hours of the day and even his dreams at night.

"Hey Steele, are you even listening to me man?! You've been really quiet and mumbling throughout the conversation, something bothering you?"

He knew that the Husky was trying to make him feel better by being concerned, but his mind was really not with him today. He just couldn't stop thinking of Balto, of how kind he was, how sweet he had been towards him lately, and even how trusting he was becoming with Steele lately.

"Nah, sorry man…I didn't sleep very well last night, my mind just wouldn't let me rest for some reason."

"Really? Maybe you were just tired from all the running around you did yesterday, and your mind just didn't catch up to your body. By the way, I saw you disappear last night towards the hospital's boiler room, any idea why you went there of all places?!"

"Um, well I was cold so I decided to warm up and I must have overheated."

"You sure? Because you don't seem like you're tired from overheating by sitting next to a boiler."

By now Rick had interjected, he saw where he'd _really_ gone last night…or rather, _who_ he'd gone with.

"That's because he was out all night with _Balto_."

At hearing this and seeing the guilty look on his best friend's face, Dex just couldn't believe it- Steele and _Balto_ were running around together?! It just seemed impossible to consider, he had never pegged Steele as the type to chase submissive _males._

"No!"

"Oh yes, Dex…I saw them both leave towards that boiler room, and they went in together and they went out together and I heard all this from a very reliable source so don't even try to deny it."

But the Malamute decided to retort to his nosy friends' gossiping tongue, Steele just stared at the race dogs and said what he was thinking in that moment.

"Well, then I won't."

Rick gasped, normally Steele would attempt to deny such an accusation…but the fact that he wasn't meant that something more had gone on between the two after Rick lost sight of them last night.

"I'm speechless."

Steele flinched when he heard the starting pistol fire, his attention being focused on the race that had begun but shock overcame him when he saw someone very familiar running in the race.

"Balto?!"

Balto only focused on the race, he desperately wanted to get that medicine and bring it back to the town. He knew that if he was chosen, then he'd have to put up with Jenna trying to steal all the fame and glory for such a heroic feat to further her reputation as Nome's top racer, but he didn't care about any of that- he just wanted to help Rosie and make Steele smile again.

Even though he'd been knocked off the race course and onto the ice, Balto still managed to find a way to get back into the race and cross the finish line in record time. As he stood there panting, the people were cheering for all the dogs who'd run the race but Balto knew they would never cheer for him. When he looked up, he saw Jenna walk past him and call out three names- the so-called bitch clique that always hung around with her.

"Nikki, Dixie, Angela, move it- we're strapping up."

"Now hang on a second, Jenna- I was the fastest dog out there today."

At hearing Balto actually think of himself as an equal, she about laughed at him.

"Excuse me, you were the fastest _what_?!"

She looked back at him to see a determined expression on his face, Jenna decided to remind him just who was top dog around here and got in his face to show him that she pretty much ruled the town.

"Do you honestly think that any musher would let _you_ onto his team? If that's what you think, then you're even more mixed up than I thought."

Steele saw how fearful Jenna was making Balto feel, even though he tried really hard not to show it the fear was still there and he knew that it was time to put a stop to her asinine behavior before it got out of hand.

"Jenna, it doesn't matter who's on the team. As long as the medicine gets through, stop being such a fucking glory bitch!"

Jenna almost couldn't believe what she was seeing from her future mate, he was actually _defending_ the half breed? More importantly, he called her a bitch! She decided to let it slide this time, because she knew that he was just angry at her behavior and not her.

"You're 100% right Steele, I wasn't thinking about those children. The important thing here is to get the medicine through, and that's just what I'm going to do…"

Jenna then turned to Balto and threatened him once again, making sure that Steele couldn't hear her.

"And when I get back, I'm gonna fold you five ways and leave you to be a cat toy."

Before she could get physical, Jenna's owner began approaching the two and she acted excited to see him.

"Good girl, Jenna! Now then, let's take a look at our winner eh?"

But there was no way that Jenna would let Balto onto the same team as her so she decided to have him cut from the running…by stepping on his paw so hard that he bared his teeth and let out a pained growl, but to her owner it looked like he was so unfriendly that he had tried to bite the man's hand when he brought it too close.

"No, we can't take him, he's part wolf…the team might turn on me. Nikki, Dixie, Angela, let's go!"

Jenna looked at Balto, she smirked arrogantly at him and laughed before running off to join her team. Steele couldn't believe what had happened, Jenna hated the wolf-dog so much that she had to threaten him just like everyone else already had? He had to make things right by Balto, starting with an apology for Jenna's less than civil behavior.

"Balto…listen, I-"

Balto was so angry at the moment that he took it out on the Malamute he was starting to, unknowingly, fall in love with- the anger and sadness in his voice directed at Steele.

"Don't talk to me, Steele…I might turn on you."

He then turned and ran off towards the edge of the town, hoping to leave before he became even angrier than he already was…he didn't even hear Steele's pleading tone, the Malamute begging him to come back and listen to reason falling on deaf ears.

"Balto, wait! Balto!"

But it was too late, the wolf-dog was already too far away to hear Steele call him back. He then thought of how Jenna had acted in front of him, the way she looked down on Balto just because he was different, how she hated him so much that she had vowed to seriously hurt him if he got in her way…it made his blood boil, he would teach that bitch that you don't talk like that to Steele's mate.

That thought stuck in Steele's mind, it shocked him- since when had he started thinking of Balto in that way?! He'd only known him for about a week and he was already entertaining _that_ possibility!? Although, he couldn't deny that Balto certainly was very beautiful, with his gray fur that stood out against the snow like ashes after a forest fire and deep gold orbs that felt like you were being pulled into them. He looked to the sky and let out a sigh, he never even realized the one thing that was happening to him was probably happening to Balto too.

Steele was falling in love with the wolf-dog, and no matter how hard he tried or how much he wished it, there was no way to stop it.

T.B.C.- So, finally finished with this chapter! Up next, Jenna and her team get lost in the mountains- will Balto put aside his anger towards her long enough to help them get back to the town and save everyone from certain death? Read on to find out!


	5. Searching For The Lost

**Dark Light (a 'Balto' fic)**

Disc.: I do not own 'Balto' it belongs to their respective owner(s), so just fuck off with the hate flames already!

A/N: So, I checked on this story late last night and I'm so ecstatic to see so many positive reviews and quite a few likes and follows! Seriously, you guys are the best and you're the reason that I write these chapters…speaking of, here's the next one for you- enjoy!

**Ch.5- Searching For The Lost**

By the time night had descended upon the town of Nome, the sled dog team that would be going to Nenana to pick up the medicine and bring it back was already strapped up for the long trip. In the lead was Jenna, behind her were the dogs she'd run countless races with: Dixie, Nikki, Angela, Brandie, Sven, Kenneth, and Devon. Their musher was checking to make sure the sled was stable and the lantern secured so they could see where they were going. In times like this, it helped to have a sufficient light source to penetrate the dark or one could end up falling off a cliff to their death.

After the starting gun had fired, Jenna and the team of dogs took off down the trail that would lead them out of the town and to their destination. As the sled was being pulled across the snow covered ground, Balto sat up on the houseboat that had was now trapped in ice thick enough to walk on without falling into the freezing cold water below. His ears went back in sadness, he desperately wanted to be one of those helping to bring the medicine back to save the kids in the hospital from dying, but he was deemed too dangerous to be on a team.

Steele, however, was not faring any better than Balto. It seemed that the wolf-dog meant to avoid him like he was the plague and had refused to even step foot in the town, and he had no idea where Balto lived either. If he knew, then Steele would have headed over there and apologized for what Jenna did to him. For now, he decided that it would be best to let the half-breed have his space and maybe after a few days they would be back on good terms again.

(3 days later)

Jenna and her team were pulling the sled through the mountains, but at the last possible moment a very bad snowstorm had hit and shortly afterwards turned into a full blown blizzard that was slowing them down considerably. Jenna was trying to be strong, but deep inside she was freaking out and trying her hardest not to have a breakdown and start whining. She was only used to having to run through small flurries, not whiteouts like this one. Dixie saw how distressed their leader was and tried consoling her but somehow only managed to irritate her enough to start rushing forward without really thinking where she was headed.

The blizzard was by now so fierce that it made Jenna unable to see anything in front of her own face, but she just cared about being the big heroine that saved the townspeople and winning Steele's heart that she slipped on an ice covered hill and the whole team went sliding down with her until they ended up in a clearing that was at least 50 feet downward from where they fell. Their musher was knocked unconscious, the team had literally been knocked out of their harnesses, and they were all starting to worry that they'd never get home. Jenna just sat where she was and began shivering, not even believing that she was going to die out here in the freezing cold mountainside, the darkness of the snowy night only being pierced by the flashing light of the lantern on the medicine box.

(In Nome)

Another three days had passed, and Mason had heard his master receive a message that the sled team was lost in the mountains with no way to find them and bring the medicine back. After the message had ended, Mason stuck his head out of the dog door that his master had set up and relayed the message to Benson, his head shaking in disbelief at what he heard from the small and pudgy dog. He turned to everyone present and told them what he himself had just been told.

"It's terrible, everyone, just terrible. Jenna and her team…are lost."

The hearts of every dog sank, if this was true then what could have caused this to happen?!

Rick was the first to speak up while the others were talking amongst themselves.

"But can't we send someone out to find them?"

"No...it's too dangerous, the snowstorm would only make finding them by sight nearly impossible at this point."

"But, what about the little ones?"

"The medicine won't be here in time…we're going to lose them."

None of them were even aware that Balto was listening in on them, his heart breaking as he thought of Rosie being buried by her parents as they cried…never again to see their little girl and be there to watch her grow up, but worst of all he thought of how this would affect Steele. He would be absolutely devastated if he lost his best friend, Balto pictured the normally strong Malamute crying his eyes out and howling at the moon with such despair that it was souls shattering.

"Rosie…there's gotta be something that I can do, but what?"

Balto let his thoughts disappear when he heard hammering nearby. He slowly peaked around when he reached the source, making sure to stay out of sight of the owner as he finished hammering away. Balto couldn't see what exactly he was making but caught the sorrowful expression on the man's face as well as the tears flowing out of his eyes, but when the man moved away from the wall after setting down his finished project he saw why the man was crying.

He was making coffins, and all of them were child sized. Balto's heart literally broke into a million pieces, he couldn't let this happen- not to Rosie or anyone, so he made up his mind. Despite the fact that Jenna hated him, Balto went to see Rosie one last time and after he watched her condition continue to drop he walked away from the hospital…eyes following the tracks left behind by the sled dogs and never once looked back as he went out into the wilderness.

If no one else decided to even bother to go looking for them, then Balto certainly would…or he'd sure as hell die trying.

Steele chose this moment to walk up to the same window he'd been watching Rosie through for the last 6 days, his heart growing heavier with each moment her health declined. He laid his head down onto the windowsill and closed his eyes, tears already forming in the corners when his nose caught a scent…it was very familiar, it smelled of water and pinewood- he knew this scent, but there was no way that it belonged to _him_.

'_No…he couldn't have…?'_

Steele looked over towards the tracks that the sled team had left when they had gone to get the medicine 6 days ago, but only one set of prints stood out among the whole lot of them. They were slightly larger than the others, that same scent was also embedded within them and he spoke the name of the only one they could belong to.

"Balto."

He knew that the wolf-dog was willing to help them, but he never thought that he'd actually leave the town and track down a bitch that hated him…then again, he was most likely doing it for the people of a town that by all rights wanted to kill him. Steele was deeply affected by how far Balto was willing to go to be accepted, even if that acceptance came in the form of being despised and threatened on a daily basis. He knew that he had to do something to help the wolf-dog, so Steele picked up Balto's scent and followed him out into the woods, hoping that he wasn't too late.

(2 days later)

Balto had been tracking the lost sled team for the better half of two days, despite the constant distractions by Boris, Muk, and Luk. They'd insisted on tagging along with him and even though he didn't say it he was grateful they had. He also made sure to stop at any trees they passed and left a trail that they could use to get back home by tearing some of the bark off. It worked so far, but now they were near a place known as Eagle Pass- and Balto couldn't help but feel that they were being followed.

Balto was about to mark another tree when he heard the loud roar of a bear, but it wasn't Muk or Luk- when he turned around, his eyes widened in shock…in front of his friends was a huge black bear, and it looked ready to kill them. He charged at the bear when his friends were hiding in the trees, his teeth sinking into the bear's hind leg. It shook him off and began crushing him into the snow, Balto could feel his lungs being crushed under the weight of the bear's massive foot as it raised its paw to shred his throat into raw meat. He closed his eyes, hoping it would be over with quickly but opened them weakly when he heard an aggressive roar and looked up to see someone he never even imagined would be here.

"Steele…?"

Yes, Steele had followed them- it took him a little longer than he'd hoped but when he saw _his_ Balto being crushed to death under the massive foot of an equally huge black bear, he had all but lost it as he jumped towards the bear's raised paw and clamped down hard enough to draw blood. The bear was obviously pissed, so it shook Steele off and threw him into a tree hard enough to fracture ribs, the Malamute crying out in pain.

Balto felt his strength return tenfold when he heard the other dog cry out in pain, he began backing up against the tree that the bear had forced him to retreat into. As the massive animal advanced, Balto rolled away and the tree branch smacked into its face. He then fell down the hill and onto the ice, it was dangerously thin and could only handle so much weight before it gave out.

The bear kept coming, it was angry beyond belief because its prey refused to die. The ice was cracking and not long after they reached the middle of the lake, the bear fell through and slipped under the water. Balto jumped onto the plateau of ice and desperately tried to climb up but he too fell underwater along with the bear, Steele felt his heart shatter at seeing Balto slip under the ice and ran out onto the more stable part of the ice. Boris had also followed the Malamute to look for Balto, Muk and Luk jumped into the water to look for him.

Steele only looked over at the goose's concerned cry at seeing them jump under the ice.

"What's wrong? They're polar bears, so they would be able to move under the water and find him right?!"

"That's not the problem!"

"Then what _is_!?"

"They cannot swim!"

Steele was flabbergasted, this just couldn't get any worse.

"What?! You're fucking with me, right? They're polar bears and they _can't swim!?_"

Under the water, Muk and Luk saw Balto clinging to the ice and trying desperately to find an air pocket before he succumbed to the sub zero liquid and died. Steele saw him and felt like crying, he couldn't dig through ice and they were running out of time- his fear only becoming greater when he saw Balto slip away from their line of sight.

Boris had lifted his head out of the water and shook it, he too had lost sight of them.

"I don't see them!"

"Where are they!?"

As both of them stood on the ice, they heard it start cracking. Their worst fears were that the black bear had survived its cold swim and was now coming back to finish them off. They were relieved when Muk and Luk broke through with Balto in their arms, but he wasn't moving. They both kept squeezing him to make the water come out of his body, the wolf-dog finally coughing it up in one huge breath. Boris had by this point reached him, his worry immediate as he started babbling.

"Balto, I was so scared that I got peoplebumps."

"Boris, I know I said I didn't want you guys tagging along but…I'm glad you came."

Steele was also in front of Balto by now, he was still shaken up from watching the one he loved almost die twice today. He masked his pain until he tried walking again, it was obvious that his ribs were cracked if not broken.

"Steele, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

But after taking another few steps, the Malamute collapsed into the snow in sheer pain. He'd never felt pain this great before, it was so excruciating that he couldn't even move without feeling his bones shift agonizingly against his lungs.

"Maybe I'm not alright, you should just get going- I'll only slow you down."

The Malamute lay down in the snow, the cold powder easing some of his pain away. Balto knew that he wouldn't see him for awhile and lay down beside the one who had taken his heart and ran off with it. He had some things to tell him, and now would be his only chance to say them so he cuddled close to Steele to keep him warm.

"That's nonsense Steele, you could _never_ slow me down. You know, I never thought that you'd come find me…especially since I was a total dick towards you about 10 days ago, I didn't mean to snap at you like I had. It's just, when you're talked down to as much as I've been, at some point you lose you self-control and let it get to you…and you take it out on those around you, even the ones you love."

Steele knew he was referring to Jenna and how much she went out of her way to make him feel like he was lower than the very ground they walked on, it pissed him off to no end how much she hated Balto and reminded him of that every time she saw him.

"Well, never you mind that bitch…she's not worth our anger or time, especially _not_ yours. She just wants me because of my father, Roscoe. He was the top racing dog in all of Alaska many years ago, and after he retired I took up racing as a hobby. He wanted me to find someone who would care for me because of who I am, not because of my family's racing pedigree- but Jenna only sees my pedigree. She thinks that if I mate with her, she'll have the best lineage in the whole of Nome…but I could never mate with her, I don't like her at all."

"Well, who is it that you like Steele?"

"I'll tell you when you finish what you're gonna do, but for now I figure that I could at the very least tell you that the mountain pass is the only path you can take right now."

"But…if we take Eagle Pass, it'll save a half day's journey."

"It's blocked, I only wish there was something else I could do besides keep you warm."

"Right now, Steele, I'm beginning to see that there isn't anything you can't do."

The Malamute just blushed at Balto's kind words. But, they couldn't stay this way forever, and was disappointed when the wolf-dog he was falling even more in love with had brought a tree branch big enough for him to lay on comfortably over to him. Balto just smiled at Steele, the kind that promised he would be coming home with the medicine and the lost dogs. He then shrugged his collar off and set it in front of Balto, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Here…you can use this, but I'm afraid it won't keep you very warm."

"Of course it will, because it has your strength providing the heat."

As they nuzzled, Luk started crying while Muk told him that Balto would be bringing the medicine and missing sled dog team back home very soon.

"Hey don't worry, I'm coming back…with the medicine, and the sled team. I promise Steele, I won't let them die out here. Just have Boris take you back along the trail I marked for you to follow, and you'll be home before too long."

Steele just nodded before he settled onto the tree branch, his bones and muscles sore from their tussle with the bear. Boris then turned to Balto and offered him one last piece of wisdom before he took off running towards the mountains where the sled team was still stranded.

"Let me tell you something, Balto. A dog cannot make this journey alone…but, maybe a _wolf_ can."

T.B.C.- Wow, that was pretty suspenseful eh? Stick around for the next chappie!


	6. Guiding Light

**Dark Light (a 'Balto' fic)**

Disc.: I do not own 'Balto' it belongs to their respective owner(s), so just fuck off with the hate flames already!

A/N: Welcome, one and all, to Ch.6! I feel so happy that you guys love this fic enough to tell me so, and for your love I am going to make this chapter as long as possible simply because I love u guys and all the praise you give me! So, without further adieu, I give you the next chapter- Enjoy, everypony!

**Ch.6- Guiding Light**

Balto took one last look behind him and then ran off towards the mountains, he knew that so many lives depended on him finding the missing sled dog team and getting the medicine back to Nome. Many other dogs in his position would probably do it for the recognition of being the hero that saved everyone's lives from certain death, but Balto wasn't doing it for that, nor was he doing it for some sense of acceptance by the townspeople.

No, he was doing it for the single most important reasons that were burning brightly in his heart like a warm fire. He was doing it for Rosie, who deserved to live…and for Steele, the one he loved more than any other.

Balto knew by now deep in his heart that he was in love with the Malamute who had not only accepted him, but had literally risked his life to keep the wolf-dog from dying alone in the wilderness at the hands of a bear and even hypothermia by warming his heart (literally).

As he made his way through the mountains, darkness began to settle and the trail was hard to see through the snow. But Balto had the greatest tracking tools at his disposal: his sense of smell and the nose that utilized it. He put his nose to the sky and caught the scent of burning oil, following it straight onward…but not until after he'd left another trail marker for the team to follow.

It felt like hours, the snow had blown around him with stinging intensity as the beautiful crystals pelted him in an effort to make him turn around and go back home, but Balto forged on- even when he'd hit a deep pocket of the white powder that made him have to work even harder to get out onto stable ground to resume his trek, until he'd made it to the top of a hill…the scent was getting stronger, and when Balto looked down he saw the somehow still burning lantern illuminated among the darkness and freezing cold winds.

At last, Balto had found the missing team and the medicine…all that remained was to get them all home in one piece, even though it meant having to put up with the glory bitch Jenna the whole way back.

Balto knew that he wouldn't be helping them by standing atop the hill looking down at them, so he started the somewhat long slide downward and into the clearing at the bottom. Upon hearing a sound coming towards them and getting louder, Dixie looked up at what could possibly be coming towards them, her back and face covered in snow that had finally begun falling off after nearly 8 days of not moving and was utterly shocked at what she saw…coming down the hill towards them was the last dog she'd ever imagined would be out here looking for them.

"Balto!?"

When she'd spoken, the other dogs looked in her direction and saw that she was indeed right- Balto had come all this way just to find them.

"Is that really him?!"

"Balto, how did you find us!?"

"Is anyone hurt?" The wolf-dog asked them all with genuine concern in his voice, sure he was worried about the medicine and even the musher that was trapped here with them, but he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't worried about the missing sled team that had been entrusted to bring the medicine back to the illness stricken town. Even though she hated the fact that he'd come all this way, Jenna spoke up as well…but it was in a bitter, almost threatening tone of voice.

"Everyone is fine."

"Yeah, but our musher hit his head…and he didn't get up." Angela said worriedly.

"And he's not moving, either."

"Alright, follow me…I can lead you all home."

Balto told them as he grabbed the harness in his jaws, but was surprised when Jenna forcefully yanked it from his teeth with her paw…she then spoke to him in a low and dangerous voice that almost made him shrink away from her in fear, but he stood his ground against her- if he could take on a bear and live then Jenna wasn't that much more of a threat to him.

"We don't need _your_ help."

Dixie was shocked at Jenna's behavior, if Balto had come all the way from Nome to help them then why would the Husky vehemently deny it in such an aggressive manner?

She knew why, it was because she was so addicted to the glory that came from being the top racer in Alaska that she couldn't stand anyone else stealing her spotlight…even if they were trying to help her, all she saw was that they were trying to upstage her and she wouldn't allow that to happen.

"Maybe we should listen to him."

Jenna looked at her team mate and growled threateningly at her.

"Well, how would _you_ get us back home Balto?" Nikki asked curiously, if he came all this way then he obviously had a way for them to get home.

"Well, I marked a trail…like this." Balto answered her question by walking up to one of the dead trees and scratching off some of the bark as sort of a trail marker.

This was actually a very good idea, all the dogs began praising Balto's efforts. He had obviously thought ahead and made a visual path for them to follow, they began talking excitedly- except Jenna, who was still pissed that they seemed to be eating up some fucking half-breed's efforts at finding them. In her anger, Jenna crushed the frail tree into the snow and began threatening Balto again.

"I'll be taking them back, _I'm_ the lead dog- _I'm_ in charge!"

Balto faltered under her gaze and voice, even after being stranded out here she still hadn't changed her attitude towards him.

"But…at least let me take the medicine back, the townspeople are probably getting even worse as we speak. If we don't do something, then _everyone_ will die."

The dogs were all shocked, if what Balto said was true then they only had a few more days at most to save everyone, which meant that they couldn't waste time fighting like this. Balto tried approaching the box, but Jenna leapt in front of it and stared him down with the most murderous gaze she could muster up and threatened him once more, this time she meant business.

"Touch that box…and I'll tear you into pieces, you fucking bitch."

Balto almost relented under her threat, but he approached her anyway…for his efforts, she roughly pushed him away, making sure it hurt.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, half-breed? I told you not to come near this box, or I would hurt you."

"Jenna, let me help you."

"I don't need your help, I need you to die out here so you can't keep me from claiming Steele and my rightfully deserved glory as the town's top racer!"

Balto had taken a bit of a beating by this point, but he still kept advancing. Jenna was starting to become livid, so she bit Balto hard enough to make him cry out in pain…she then grabbed his tail with enough force to break it in half and threw him into the mountainside, laughing as he fell unconscious. The other dogs thought he wouldn't recover from that, Dixie had heard his ribs crack from the impact but was shocked when Balto started getting up shakily.

Jenna knew that she hadn't yet finished the job, so she moved to sink her fangs into his jugular vein and tear his throat out…but instead, she grabbed Steele's collar and ripped it off of Balto's neck. However, there was no way for Jenna to keep her footing so she fell down the mountain path and into a clearing at least 100 feet below where Balto was looking down at her. After he went back to the sled, he saw the other dogs had by now gotten their musher onto the sled and covered him with the furs that had been piled up under the box to keep it stable.

After making sure he wouldn't fall off, Balto walked to the front of the sled and stepped into the lead dog harness when Dixie held it up for him, her face beaming with the biggest smile she could dredge up even in the dreary cold and falling snow.

When Jenna finally made it to the top of the ravine, her heart became filled with hatred when she saw Balto in _her_ lead harness and pulling the sled up the icy slope easily. She had to stop him from getting back to Nome and stealing her fame right out from under her nose.

"Go on, wolf-bitch, you'll never get home…I'll make sure of that."

Jenna then slipped away towards the mountains, after looking around for a few minutes, she found Balto's so-called 'trail marker' and scratched off the bark of the surrounding trees to confuse them as she limped her way back towards Nome. If she couldn't have glory as the savior of Nome, then she'd sure as fuck make sure that no one else would either.

After 3 hours of trying to find his way back, Balto panicked when he heard a tree branch fall nearby and took off running full throttle in a straight path that had them all freaking out. When they stopped at the edge of a cliff, the medicine box's strings snapped and the box started falling off the cliff. Balto leaped out of his harness and caught the box just as it was about to fall, but had made the patch of ice he was standing on too heavy to stay attached to the mountain and the other dogs immediately began panicking as Balto and the medicine fell down a 700 foot ravine, the wolf-dog's scream the last thing they heard before he vanished into the darkness below.

(In Nome)

Steele was recovering in a nearby boiler room, listening to other dogs asking questions about the medicine and the missing team. When he told them that Balto had left to go find them and bring them back, they were stunned…why would a half-breed that everyone hated so much risk his life to save a town that didn't even _like_ him?

"I don't get it, how could Balto find them all the way out there in the mountains?"

"Well…he's tracking them."

"That _mutt?_ Tracking a championship sled team, in a blizzard?!"

Everyone in the room by this point was laughing their asses off at the ridiculous idea of Balto being able to track them after the trail had obviously gone cold long ago. They just kept laughing until the door blew open and there was a dog standing in the doorway, the snow obscuring their view of them so they couldn't tell who it was at first.

"Balto?" Steele asked hopefully, his heart begging that it was the wolf-dog he loved so very much but was disappointed when it was the last dog he'd wanted to see.

"Jenna!"

The others began clamoring excitedly, they were happy to see their heroine alive and well. Steele, to his credit, was confused…if she was here, then where was the rest of the team she set out with almost 10 days ago?

"Jenna, what happened to the others, to the medicine?"

Jenna looked up through the ice on her eyebrows at the dogs waiting to hear what happened, she knew they couldn't find out that she'd left them behind as 'collateral damage' in her rightly deserved admonishing of fame and glory, so she told them…in a way she knew they wouldn't question her.

"Well, one by one they…fell, frozen, barely alive." Jenna said as she shook the snow and ice off of her body, the icicles sticking into the wooden wall and melting from the heat.

"I pulled four of them onto the sled…three more, onto my back. And I walked…and I walked for days on end but…it was too late, they didn't-"

"But, what about the medicine?!" Benson asked her, he wanted to know the fate of the elixir that would save everyone.

"Well, I tried to…get the medicine back here, I really did all alone…and then suddenly, that _wolf-dog_ appeared, Balto. He demanded that I let _him_ take the medicine…you know, all he wanted was to be seen as a hero in your eyes."

Jenna said this with a look of 'genuine' pain on her face as she looked at Steele, his own eyes seemed to reflect sadness at hearing what happened to him.

"And then he grabbed the crate, but he couldn't handle it! He couldn't see the patch of ice, the- the snow and the wind, and the log…as he…he…"

It almost seemed that she couldn't continue, she looked like she was gonna cry at any moment but she managed to find a way to finish up.

"And then…"

Jenna said before she reached around to her neck and held something in her jaws. Steele gasped as he saw that she had the collar that he'd given Balto not even two days ago.

"My collar!"

"Here, he…as his last request, he made me promise to take care of you, Steele."

Steele looked down at the collar in front of him, then back up at Jenna with a look of disgust on his face as he narrowed his eyes at her before speaking to her.

"You're lying…Jenna's lying, Balto's alive! He's coming home."

Steele said before he picked up the collar and ran out into the cold night air, ignoring the stunned looks on the other dogs' faces as Jenna stood there downcast, the silence broken by her voice a few seconds later.

"Well, you know he…needs a little more time to accept the fact that he's gone forever."

Steele had managed to, despite being in tremendous pain from his bruised ribs, drag the same broken bottles that Balto had shown him up to the top of a hill that faced a mountainside. He also had a lantern with him as he arranged them in the same pattern that his future mate had done that night nearly 2 weeks ago under the floorboards.

"Sun…ice caps…"

Steele was hoping that this would work, and not even a minute later the mountainside lit up in the same colors that had bathed _him_ in that soft rainbow glow that night they spent together, his heart filled with hope as he spoke the name of his beloved.

"Balto…"

T.B.C.- Wow, Jenna's a nasty little liar ain't she? Read and review, they make the lights shine ever brighter and help bring in the next chapter!


	7. Bringing Home Hope

**Dark Light (a 'Balto' fic)**

Disc.: I do not own 'Balto' it belongs to their respective owner(s), so just fuck off with the hate flames already!

A/N: So much love for this fic, that's what I see when I read these reviews that are left by the people that read them…makes me wanna cry, I'm that happy! Really ecstatic that you guys love this story that much, so I'm not gonna make you wait anymore for the next chapter- enjoy, all of ya!

**Ch.7- Bringing Home Hope**

Darkness.

Cold.

Despair.

These are the things Balto was immersed in as he was buried under the deep and frigid snow, he thought of his family. His father Logan, who was strong and proud…and as brave as he was intelligent, a Husky that any pup would be proud to have as their father. And then there was his mother, the one he loved more than any other in the world when he was just a puppy.

Anieu, the great white wolf. She was very beautiful, smart, wise, and above all very loving. She loved Balto and his siblings very much when they were one pack growing up, but one day Balto wandered off from his parents and never saw them again. Since that day, he'd had to look out for himself and trusted no one because he didn't want to lose anyone else that meant something to him. He was also hated for being a wolf-dog, for being born of mixed blood- which wasn't his fault but the townspeople and their pets felt as though that was the case.

Balto thought for sure he was going to be alone for the rest of his life, that he'd never find a mate or bear pups with said mate. He remembered his mother told him that all wolf-dogs, male and female, could carry and bear pups- but males had to be given a cesarean to safely birth them or get a surrogate who could have pups for the two males wanting to have a litter of their own. Surely, a family would be nice, but Balto felt he was doomed to never see that happen.

Until the day he met Steele. For some reason, when he was pinned beneath those deep cobalt pools of hesitation and kindness, he felt all of his past feelings of pain and loneliness melt away and vanish. At first, he thought it was just him being nervous and afraid, but the more time he spent with the Malamute the more he began to realize that those eyes were saying something to his very heart. Balto had even come to love Rosie, but that was because she wasn't afraid of him like all the other humans were, she had accepted him right away and even offered to play with him.

But on the day that he was almost killed by the bear, Balto felt that he would never see anyone he ever cared for again and that he was doomed to die alone in the freezing cold wilderness…until Steele had shown up and saved his life, and in doing so broke through the final wall of uncertainty and pain surrounding his heart. Balto knew now that he could never live without being next to Steele, without being in his life or his heart.

Balto, the wolf-dog who thought he was undeserving of anything except loneliness, had a reason to live and come back to Nome…that reason was a sexy Malamute named Steele.

The Malamute that Balto had fallen in love with. Feeling renewed resolve, Balto finally managed to dig himself out of the snow and saw the sun for the first time since falling off the cliff and down into a ravine. But, after 4 days of traveling with next to no rest, his energy was pretty much gone as he lay in the snow and covered his face ashamedly. He'd let them all down, the townspeople, their pets…but most of all, he'd let Rosie down by condemning her to death at the hands of a virus that had probably also killed everyone else along with her, even Steele.

"Rosie…"

Balto stayed there in the snow, his tears nearly freezing to his face as they streamed down his cheeks warmly, if Steele were here he'd lick them away and tell him that he would never make him cry again.

"Forgive me, I wasn't able to keep my promise to you…or Steele, I'm sorry."

His resolve was quickly being replaced with sadness, until he heard the sounds of paws softly walking on the white powder. Balto looked up and saw a pure white wolf looking down at him, this wolf had honey-brown eyes…the same color as his mother's. The wolf in question looked down at him quietly yet sadly, it hurt her to see him like this…defeated and giving up, unlike the Husky that had won her heart many years ago.

Anieu watched her only other son with a motherly look to her, she then let out a howl of encouragement to try and rouse him to his feet and make him find his resolve that had fallen into the snow with his tears.

"_Balto…it will be okay, my son. You can do it, embrace the wolf inside of you."_

Balto looked at the wolf, then looked away. He couldn't face her, not the one he still loved with all his heart…he couldn't face his mother like a beaten puppy. Balto then let his eyes drift to the medicine box nearby, he'd used his body to break the fall so the precious cargo inside wouldn't break and become ruined. He looked away from the medicine and his gaze surveyed the mountain they'd fallen down, it was easily an 800 foot drop…he couldn't possibly climb up there without help, there was nothing more he could do from here or at all for that matter.

Balto closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to what Boris had told him before he left to find the stranded team alone, then he thought of Steele and Rosie…and of what his mother had told him moments ago.

"_Let me tell you something, Balto. A dog cannot make this journey alone, but maybe…a wolf can."_

"_Balto…it will be okay, my son. You can do it, embrace the wolf inside of you."_

Balto knew that what they were saying was true, all his life he'd been afraid of the wolf half of his bloodline. He thought it would only bring him shame and misery, but it was time for Balto to embrace his other half, the half of himself that made him who he is- a strong and brave yet kind and wise individual, Rosie and Steele had both accepted the fact that he was a half-breed. Now it was time for him to accept the fact that he was a half-breed, that he was different yet the same as all other dogs in the world.

He is Balto, wolf-dog, two different halves…but stronger than both halves alone.

Balto managed to find the strength to stand up, dragging himself over to the paw prints in the snow that were the same size as his own and placed his paw onto the one in front of him. He then threw his head back and let out a howl of renewed resolve, not even noticing that his mother had joined in and they were howling together.

(On the cliff)

The sled team had given up hope that they were ever gonna get home, their fear of being food for the beasts of the wild only elevated when they heard howling pierce through the quiet of the snow falling around them as a small blizzard had kicked up overnight. Angela was the first to speak, her voice cutting through their shivering only served to escalate the already tense atmosphere.

"Oh great, as if things weren't bad enough already…now we've got wolves to worry about."

The other dogs had hoped that the howling was another dog looking for help, but it seemed that what Angela had mentioned was true…wolves were nearby, possibly out looking for fresh meat to fill their starving bellies with.

Before panic could set in further and freak them out even more, Nikki looked down the mountainside and saw a sight that she was really glad to see.

"Balto!?"

Dixie looked over in her teammates' direction next, seeing that Nikki was right- Balto was alive, and he was hauling the medicine up the side of the mountain by himself.

The other dogs were amazed at the feat the wolf-dog was performing, that box had to weigh at least 50 pounds and Balto was bringing it up a steep mountain face all alone. They couldn't help cheering him on, urging him to keep going when it looked like he was going to fall. After a half hour of struggling and cheering, Balto had managed to get the box within reach of the other dogs, who more than gladly took it from him and helped him up the cliff. He then took the leadership position again and began guiding them home.

The team was making great time, they were pulling as quickly as they could without knocking the box over and thanks to Balto using his sense of smell to guide them they were less than half a day away from Nome when they had to cut through a cave due to an avalanche that had nearly covered them all in snow and ice. They had to take it slowly and carefully, any loud noises would cause them to make the roof cave in on them. When they finally made it out of the cave, the first thing Balto saw what that it was nightfall…but what he saw next made his heart soar with happiness, the mountainside in the back of the town was glowing with the light of the Aurora Borealis. The whole team saw the same sight, and began eagerly running full throttle when Balto took off. He began howling his head off, letting the whole town know that the medicine had arrived…

The team let them know that hope had arrived, after nearly 20 days of being stranded in the wilderness and freezing cold weather, hope had been brought back to all of them.

(Rosie's room)

Steele was laying his head on Rosie's blanket, he'd finally been allowed inside to see her and hadn't left her side for 3 days except to go to the bathroom and look outside for any sign of the team. He'd begun to think that something horrific had happened to his mate and the team, that he'd never see Balto's sweet smile or happy disposition until he heard the distinct wolf-like howling that woke him from his napping, he began barking happily which woke up his owners.

"The team!"

"They made it!"

As if on cue, the whole town came out of their houses and shops, even the doctors and nurses began pouring out into the freezing cold night to welcome the team back with the medicine that was desperately overdue.

(Boiler Room)

Jenna was lapping up the attention she was receiving, she had stepped up her story and told them how she'd had to fight her way through a pack of 50 wolves to even make it halfway to the halfway point of her journey back from certain death. She knew she could play the foolish admirers of her exploits easily, they were after all the same ones that had cheered her on at all the races she'd participated in for years. Her story telling was cut short when Benson opened the door, the other dogs were no longer looking at her but outside as they all heard the howling of a wolf, or rather a certain wolf-dog that she thought had died in the wilderness days ago.

"What?"

The other dogs were absolutely shocked at what the older dog said next, and it made them immediately rethink their views and loyalties of the female Husky lying on the pillow.

"It's Balto…with the medicine!"

If ever there was a dog that they would all start hating right then and there, it was Jenna. Obviously, she had lied when she said that Balto and the team had all been killed in the wild by the cold weather. All she cared about was glory, she didn't give a rat's ass about the rest of them as long as she was shining like the brightest star in the sky…she had probably left the team behind on purpose when she figured that as long as she came back that she could get more glory, and this made them all turn on her immediately. They didn't even stay to hear her plead for them to come back, all they cared about was the fact that the town was saved from a terrible illness.

When Balto pulled the sled into the town, he watched as the medicine box was unhooked from the sled and taken inside to be administered. The other dogs were all standing in their harnesses, Balto saw the people all gather around him…their hands were raised above him and he prepared himself for them to beat him and pull at him, or even to throw him out of the town for leaving and daring to come back…

But he was unprepared for the praise and gentle caresses upon him, all his life he'd only ever known their hatred and disgust, their fear that he would attack them for no reason other than to hurt them. He wasn't expecting this, rather instead of pulling away in fear he actually accepted their kindness happily- he'd been wanting this for so long, and now he finally had the love from the townspeople that he'd only been dreaming of while sleeping in a sunken boathouse all alone with his only other friend Boris.

He was surprised further when Rosie's father came out and pet him on the head between his ears, the very same man who'd kicked him and frightened him off nearly a month ago was actually inviting him inside to go see Rosie with a smile on his face.

"Come on, boy. There's someone who wants to see you."

Balto looked at the other dogs and his friends, they all urged him to head inside and see the little girl whose life he saved.

Balto watched as Rosie started regaining her strength, he walked over and grabbed her hat and brought it to her. She smiled at him, taking the hat and hugging him happily.

"Balto…I'd be lost without you."

He was happy, happier than he'd ever been in his life…but was ecstatic when he heard the voice of his future mate, who had called out to him from the doorway and smiled lovingly at him.

"Steele."

Balto ran up to Steele and they began talking hurriedly, though it looked and sounded like happy barking to the humans.

"Balto, you're alive! I knew that Jenna was lying when she said you had died!"

"Yeah well, you're right about that. I'm alive, and I'm not going anywhere any time soon."

"Balto?"

"Yes, Steele?"

"I love you, with all my heart."

"I love you too, Steele."

The two dogs stood there in the doorway together, enjoying the happiness of the townspeople and their children…knowing that nothing could ruin this moment. Steele then turned to Balto and smiled at him, the wolf-dog wondering what Steele was thinking behind such an expression before he took off towards the hill that overlooked the town. Balto followed him, curiosity evident in his actions until he found the Malamute sitting on the hill and grinning at him.

"Steele, what are we doing out here?"

"Well, I missed you and I want to spend time with just you right now. Is that too much to ask, after you've been gone for so long?"

"Well, no but-"

"Then sit, your dominant commands you."

Balto just rolled his eyes at Steele, who knew he could be so commanding when he was lonely?

"Alright, fine. But tell me what you want, besides time alone with me?"

"Balto…my father, Roscoe, said that I would find my true mate when the time was right. He said that he wouldn't care whether they were male or female as long as I was happy with them, I thought I'd never get that chance until I met you. I guess what I'm trying to say is…Balto?"

"Y-yes, Steele?" the wolf-dog stuttered while blushing, his nose becoming tinged with a scarlet rose blush as the two held each other's gazes for what seemed like forever.

"Would you be my mate? Be with me forever, never leave my side and always greet me when I wake up every morning?"

Balto was speechless, he had been hoping that Steele would ask such a thing of him but never thought he actually would. He smiled at him, his ears pricking up in happiness as he sat beside his mate while they gazed out at the town being illuminated in the silver glow of the full moon.

"Do you even have to ask? The answer is yes, Steele…I will be your mate, always and forever my love."

T.B.C.- Wow, so much love between these two! Up next is the finale, and Steele finding out Balto's secret- read and review plz!


	8. Only Look At Me

**Dark Light (a 'Balto' fic)**

Disc.: I do not own 'Balto' it belongs to their respective owner(s), so just fuck off with the hate flames already!

A/N: I know you're all probably really sad that this story has to come to an end, but it had to happen eventually! So, I bring you the closing chapter of 'Dark Light', and I want to thank all of you so much for reading and reviewing this story, as well as following it until this point in time. The finale will be a song chapter inspired by Tae Yang's song 'Only Look At Me', the lyrics will be in the chapter and they do not belong to me…wish I could have written this for him, but ya know that's how life works sometimes! So, here's the finale to Dark Light, Ch.8- enjoy and let me know your final thoughts on it plz!

**Ch.8- Only Look At Me**

'_It's been on my mind for a while,__  
__Gotta get this off my chest,__  
__Before it's…too late.'_

Steele was overwhelmingly happy at Balto's answer, he finally had found the one meant for him and he was never going to let him go.

'_I can't let you go,__  
__Ya gotta let it go.__  
__"I can't let you go,__  
__Ya gotta…listen.'_

'_Just looking at you and smiling a few times a day,__  
__I've told you hundreds of times "You're the love of my life".__  
__And I've told you, in this corrupt world,__  
__You're the only one my restless mind can trust.'_

The rest of their time was spent running together, watching sunsets on the hills surrounding the town and overall just being there for each other…even when they had competition.

6 months had passed since the Ditheria incident, and the two mates were practically inseparable. But that didn't mean that there weren't dogs who were trying to steal them away from each other for themselves. In Balto's case, he'd met a fellow half-breed named Kyle who repeatedly kept trying to ask him out only to meet the business end of Steele's jealous growling.

'_Though you thought I'd change my mind about you,__  
__If you felt uneasy I smiled and told you that'd never happen.__  
__In my endlessly wandering, hollow heart,__  
__The only place I can rest is in you but…__  
__I hate myself for having strayed from you,__  
__Even today I'm wrapped up in what I'm doing and erasing you, "baby, baby."'_

'_Even though I stray from you, don't you stray from me, "baby",__  
__Even though I forget about you, don't you forget me, "lady".__  
__Even though I drink and don't call,__  
__Even if I briefly meet eyes with another girl,__  
__Only look at me.'_

As for Steele, his trouble came in the form of a female black and white Husky named Lucille. She thought him too handsome and good for Balto and offered to have his puppies, which resulted in Balto pinning her into the snow and growling so viciously that she thought he really was a wolf. Steele had to tell him that she was a gutter skank who wasn't worth his time and that no one else could take his place no matter what, that puppies didn't matter to him as long as they were together. After hearing these words, Balto's mind cleared from its' angry haze and the two mates walked off, leaving the petrified she-bitch cowering in the snow muttering about wolves running loose unrestrained.

'_Tonight you've waited for me 'til the break of day again,__  
__You're talking to me through tears, saying I've changed.__  
__But facing you, my feelings for you are the same as before.__  
__Though I soothe you countless times,__  
__I'm gonna have a hard time without you.__  
__Sometimes I lose my breath just thinking about you.'_

'_But sometimes you suffocate me (smother me).__  
__In endless fights and an endless sigh,__  
__The only place you can rest is in me.__  
__But I hate myself for growing tired of you,__  
__Even today I'm smiling but secretly losing faith,"baby, baby."'_

'_Even though I stray from you, don't you stray from me, "baby",__  
__Even though I forget you, don't you forget me, "lady".__  
__Even though I drink and don't call,__  
__Even if I briefly meet eyes with another girl,__  
__Only look at me.'_

This seemed to be the normal routine for the two mates, no matter how much they told the dogs of their town otherwise they didn't seem to get the hint. The final incident was when Steele found his mate cornered in an alleyway about to be mounted by a Husky mix named Ben, Balto was trying to fight the bigger dog off of him but wasn't faring so well. Steele all but lost it when the bigger dog was smirking at him confidently, like he was about to win a fight that neither even knew had begun.

Steele ran up to Ben and threw the bigger dog off of his mate, then proceeded to rip his throat out when Balto moved between them and kissed Steele in an effort to calm him down. That seemed to work, because not even a minute later Steele was walking away with his mate in a hurry before he changed his mind and went for the kill anyway.

"Steele, listen…"

"Did he get inside you?"

"No, you caught him as he was about to…thank you, Steele."

"I don't understand it, you're a male…last I checked, male dogs- or in your case wolf-dogs, couldn't get pregnant. So why do they keep trying to mount you and breed with you?"

"Well, that's not entirely true…I actually can carry pups inside me, doctors still don't know how it even occurs- but my mother told me that the great Inuit spirits made it possible for both male _and_ female wolf-dogs to get pregnant and carry pups. It only happens with half-breeds like me though, and only if the mother is a wolf and the father is a dog. Wish I knew the whole truth myself or how it's even possible, but that's what I was told."

Steele was shocked, if this was true then Steele's dream of becoming a father with his very beautiful and very male mate could still become a reality.

'_I know I'm being selfish,__  
__But in the time I've been wasting every day, I've become corrupt like this, "baby"…__  
__I only want you to stay pure forever.__  
__I want this with my whole heart, this is my faith in you,__  
__Don't leave me 'til the day you die.'_

'_Even though I stray from you don't you stray from me, baby.__  
__Even though I forget you, don't you forget me, lady.__  
__Even though I drink and don't call,__  
__Even though I briefly meet eyes with another girl,__  
__Only look at me…__  
__Only look at me.'_

"Balto?"

"Yes, Steele?"

"I never got the chance to ask you this, but what do you want from us?"

"Well…I've always wanted a family, a few puppies with my mate but I never really had the chance to consider this until I met you."

"In that case, Balto…I want to start a family with you."

"Really?! You want to be a father?"

"Of course, but before that I want you to come and meet my father Roscoe- I promised him that if I ever found a mate I'd bring them over to meet him. Would you like to come with me and meet my old man?"

"S-sure, but what if he doesn't like me?"

"He'll love you, now come on- we've only got a few hours of daylight left and I think he's home alone today."

After much hesitation and protesting (mostly on Balto's part lol), the two mates were sitting inside the living room of a 2 story house in front of a much older Husky. He looked exactly like Steele, only his ears were folded down like a regular dog's ears. His eyes were a very light green-blue and he was looking at the two dogs in front of him, the one on the left he recognized as his only other son Steele, but the other one he didn't know. His gaze went right to his son, he wanted to know who this other pup was next to his own.

"Steele, it's been far too long since your last visit. I trust you've been well?"

"Of course, father."

"Tell me…who is this young one you've brought with you today?"

"Father, this is Balto…he is my mate, I promised I would bring my mate to meet you and this is him."

Roscoe got up on shaky legs and walked around Balto much like a predator looking to find a weakness in their prey's defenses and go in for the kill, he sniffed the wolf-dog all over before sitting back down in front of them.

"So, it's true…you are the one my son has chosen as his mate, I can smell his scent all over you. It is very refreshing to see my youngest son finally settle down with a mate that he loves with all his heart, permit me to introduce myself to you. I am Roscoe, Steele and Victor's father. I heard that you are the one who saved our town from death, Balto…I am very proud of both of you, especially you Balto for saving a town that probably never even liked you."

"You seem to know quite a bit about me, Roscoe."

"Yes well, I also knew your father Logan…he was once a part of my team long before Steele and his older brother were born, I also knew your beautiful mother Anieu- I can see the both of them in you, I only wish I could have kept you from suffering like you have. Anyway, have you explained to Steele the reason why exactly you two have not mated yet?"

Steele looked at his mate, he too was also curious as to why Balto wouldn't let the Malamute fuck him into every snow covered hill in sight after nearly 9 months.

"Because…Steele, the reason why I haven't given myself to you yet is because mating is not only physical for us but it's also very personal- wolves mate for life, even wolf-dogs like me also mate for life. Once we mate with a partner, it's until death…I wanted to make sure that this is what you really want, and not something you'd regret once it was followed through to the end."

Steele looked into his mate's deep golden eyes, that could be the reason why Balto wouldn't mate with him yet…he was nervous and insecure about the consequences of their actions together, but the Malamute had promised the half-breed that they'd be together until the very end, no matter what came their way.

"Balto, in all my years of living in this town and on this earth, the one thing I regret is not falling in love with you sooner…I am absolutely sure that I want to be your mate- I_ love_ you, Balto…my beautiful mate, my one and only forever more. So yes, I want us to be together for life."

Balto was blushing and crying at this point, Steele was kissing his mate's tears away with small licks and nips, and Roscoe was watching the whole scene fondly. It reminded him of when he would comfort his mate who had died from cancer 3 years ago, shortly afterwards Victor and his family left Nome to go live in California. Roscoe cleared his throat, thus gaining the attention of his son and his soon to be son in law.

"It warms my old heart to see you two so happy together, you have chosen a fine and beautiful mate Steele…I am the proudest father in the world, and I know your mother, sisters, and brother would be proud of you too. Now then, I give you two my blessings to have a wondrous mating with hopefully the sounds of tiny paws running through the snow very soon. Balto, you and Steele should visit Anieu and receive her blessings as well."

Balto nodded at Roscoe, who smiled happily at the two mates before they left him alone once again. The old Malamute was truly thrilled to see his youngest son grown up and living happily with the one his heart was truly meant for and not that damn glory bitch Jenna.

As Balto and Steele walked though the town side by side, Dex and Rick approached them with Nikki standing between them. A smile was on her face, and the first thing that Balto noticed was that her stomach was actually bulging out…as though she were pregnant.

"Hey Steele, how are you and Balto doing today?" Rick asked with a semblance of a smile on his own face.

"We're fine, Rick. Why is Nikki with you two?"

Dex was the one to speak this time, his excitement was building to near critical levels and he could no longer hold it in as he began talking ecstatically to the point of passing out from not breathing between sentences, but managed to stay conscious.

"Because, me and Rick have decided to have puppies together and Nikki is our surrogate! We can't wait to be parents!"

The two mates were shocked, but Steele recovered soon enough to speak to his friends with a sense of fondness in his tone.

"Well, congratulations to the both of you…Nikki, I wish you a safe and healthy delivery of your pups. As for me and Balto, we have somewhere to be right now so we'll see you guys later."

"Off to bury a bone in your most favorite spot, Steele?" Dex said in a teasing tone that had Balto blushing and Steele rolling his eyes as the two mates left to go find Anieu.

(Outskirts of town)

Balto was standing in front of a statue of a great white wolf, its amber-gold eyes seemed to be staring right into your soul. Steele found it to be hauntingly beautiful in its intimidation despite being a statue. Balto smiled at Steele before turning back to the statue, he seemed nervous about something but soon let it drop as he spoke to the white wolf fondly.

"Steele, this statue represents my mother Anieu. Mother, this is my mate Steele…I love him with all my heart and wish for your blessings to mate with him. If you have anything to say, please give us a sign."

After a few tense minutes of silence, a gentle wind caressed them both across their faces…as if Anieu was approving of their love and giving them her blessings to be together.

"Thank you, mother. I hope to speak to you again soon."

Balto then turned away from the statue and walked off, Steele following close by as they headed for the nearest secluded meadow. After a few minutes, Balto stopped in the middle of a grassy clearing and looked at his mate lovingly, Steele looking back at him before the two mates closed the distance and kissed openly without having to worry about other dogs interrupting them like all those other times. The kiss started out shy but soon became bold, tongues battling for dominance with Steele winning in the end and Balto relenting to his dominant Malamute lover.

Their eyes soon became clouded over with mating lust, Steele had been keeping his inside for what he felt was far too long and wanted to mount his mate and fuck the living hell out of him, to make sure he wouldn't be able to walk for a week after he was done with him. Balto seemed to sense his mate's eagerness and anticipation, as well as his pent up frustrations and turned around to expose his waiting entrance. Steele was excited, his own thick shaft sliding out from underneath his fur to stand proudly at attention, this was what he'd been waiting for for nearly 9 months and this time no one would stop them.

"Balto, if you're sure about this-"

"Steele, I am more sure than I've ever been about anything. Mate with me, take me, mark me as yours and only yours."

Steele walked over to his very willing mate and stood over top of him, not quite going inside just yet but instead settling on nipping his ear gently before talking into the pointed organ arousedly.

"Then I hope you'll forgive me if I hurt you…I wanted this to be gentler, but I can't wait anymore and I've been holding back for nearly 9 months now. I think it's time for us to be true mates, don't you my dear Balto?"

"Y-yes, Steele…just do it, already!"

That was all the encouragement Steele needed as he sheathed himself deep into Balto, his thick cock sliding into the inviting and warm heat of his mate roughly but then easily. After a few minutes of letting his mate adjust, Steele felt Balto push back onto his cock as a message to move. Steele pulled out only to slam back in roughly, the sounds of whimpering soon turned to moaning and begging in the clearing where no one could hear them but the wind, Steele could feel himself nearing his release as Balto could feel his own end nearing as well…after one final thrust and calling Balto's name loudly, Steele felt the knot come undone and bury itself deep inside his mate, the two just laid there as the Malamute rode out his release and pumped Balto full of his seed. They had to stay this way for the next hour as Steele's cock finally softened enough for him to pull out of Balto.

By the time they were finished, the wolf-dog was too exhausted to walk so Steele carried him back to the boathouse to rest…neither of them aware of what was to come in 5 months time.

And that's the end, sorry if the lemon seemed kinda weird, but I've never really written this kind of lemon before…so, I thought I'd throw in some face time with Roscoe because I feel bad for not mentioning him so much in the story except near the beginning, and of course Dex and Rick got to show up before the end. Also, I'm not sure if the Tae Yang lyrics in this chapter are the right ones or not, let me know what I possibly did wrong with them plz? Also, quick question, should I do the second movie next or leave it at this? Let me know in a review or private message, plz? Thank you, and hope to see you all again soon!


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